New offers for buyouts and early retirement offered to Homeland Security staff
By REBECCA SANTANA Associated Press WASHINGTON AP The Department of Homeland Guard is offering buyouts and early retirement options to staffers as the Trump administration pushes forward with efforts to reduce and reshape the federal workforce according to an email obtained by The Associated Press In the email titled Reshaping of the DHS Workforce Secretary Kristi Noem reported the department would give staffers who want to leave three options deferred resignation early retirement and a voluntary separation payment The email which was sent Monday night commented the last option offers a lump-sum payment of up to in particular cases Staff have until April to decide on whether to apply for the offer The Department of Homeland Protection did not respond to questions about how various people are expected to take the offer or whether staff cuts would eventually follow The American people deserve a establishment that works for them something President Trump has promised spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin revealed in a announcement Every dollar spent and position filled at DHS should be focused on our core mission of securing our homeland and keeping the American people safe Related Articles Trump touts Supreme Court deportation ruling as a major win but legal fight is far from over Trump meets with the House GOP as his big bill of tax breaks and spending cuts teeters Joe Rogan and Dave Portnoy are among the Trump backers now questioning his tariff policies National Park Utility restores original Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad webpage As a future of US foreign aid cuts comes into focus so do efforts to respond Homeland Safeguard has so far avoided the widespread sweeping layoffs seen in other agencies across the federal regime In fact the department has been advertising on social media that it s looking for more staff in areas critical to immigration enforcement such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Homeland Shield Investigations Selected areas of the department have seen cuts including at a center focused on reducing targeted violence and terrorism Also probationary FEMA employees were fired earlier this year and three offices designed to provide oversight of the department were gutted In the Monday email Noem revealed the offers to workers reflect our commitment to aligning our workforce with evolving mission necessities while supporting the personal and professional goals of our dedicated employees She explained individual components within Homeland Defense would give further guidance to staff about who is eligible and who would be excluded because they are mission critical frontline workforce Noem declared that law enforcement leaders would generally be exempt from the buyout offer That s key for Homeland Guard with law enforcement officers employed for several department functions such as Customs and Edge Protection Homeland Defense was created in the wake of the Sept attacks to bring together disparate agencies into one department The sprawling department pulls together the Federal Emergency Management Agency Coast Guard Secret Operation and key parts of the country s immigration and frontier precaution mission among others
